Nicole Scherzinger on Men in Black III

Nicole Scherzinger talks about working with special effects and Barry Sonnenfeld on Men in Black III.

Former Pussycat Doll and solo singer Nicole Scherzinger is going to be a judge on Simon Cowell’s new music competition The X Factor. She’s also starting an acting career, so after her X Factor panel to the Television Critics Association, I went up to ask her about Men in Black III. I also threw in some music questions, including the PCD classic Don’t Cha, while she answered questions.

Crave Online: You’re getting your acting career going now also. How is Men in Black III going?

Nicole Scherzinger: It was amazing. I’ve finished shooting it already. I have a cameo and I open the movie. So it was an honor to work with Barry Sonnenfeld, the director, and Jemaine Clement who’s my costar. I actually went to college for theater so it’s nice to be able to utilize some of those chops finally. I really want to get back into a film and acting.

Crave Online: How does your theater training apply when you’re in a huge special effects movie?

Nicole Scherzinger: It’s crazy. It’s crazy to combine the two worlds of the stage, theater and theatrical training to something on such a grand scale. It doesn’t get any bigger than this with movies like this. Honestly, not only did my theater training with my background in acting with that, but my stage training because I had to create a whole other character for this role. In order to do that I had to pull from the rock star inside of me and create this whole diva, like this whole action bad girl kind of character.

Crave Online: Are you a Woman in Black?

Nicole Scherzinger: She’s actually a woman in black and leather. A woman in black leather actually. I remembered when I was doing a lot of the scenes. In some of the scenes I’m walking and you’ll see with some serious hardcore rocket launcher. It’s crazy. I was playing my music in my head, almost like I was doing a music video.

Crave Online: What song was in your head?

Nicole Scherzinger: My song Poison and then also Led Zeppelin.

Crave Online: How does seeing new up and coming singers reinvigorate your creativity?

Nicole Scherzinger: It friggin’ reinvigorates me! That’s why I’m so happy to be a part of this show, because as a performer, I want to be inspired. That’s what I’m looking for. I’m sitting here critiquing and judging and commenting and I’m like oh, I could be working on this. I need to bring my A game. It kind of ignites me. I just did a performance on So You Think You Can Dance last night. I just want to make sure that I give it full thought. It’s like I’m reborn again and I’ve got to give it my all. That’s what I’m asking and that’s what I’m looking for in these contestants so I’ve got to make sure I’m bringing it. I’ve been loving the performances they’ve been doing lately as far as they feel amazing, they feel alive, they feel real.

Crave Online: Don’t Cha still plays all the time. How do you feel about the legacy of that song?

Nicole Scherzinger: That it’s a phenomenon and I’m proud to be a part of that legacy. Whenever I hear the song, I’m just elated. It’s such a staple song. I love it because it’s classic and I’m just so honored that I got to sing it and to do that song and bring it to life. I love the song. It cracks me up when I hear it in movies or see it on beer commercials. I had no idea. I went into the studio one afternoon on the weekend, me and Cee-Lo knocked it out in not even two hours, an hour and a half and it was like, “What song do I do next?”

Crave Online: I was more of a Buttons guy myself.

Nicole Scherzinger: Well, I was in the studio. I wrote that with Sean Garrett so I love that song as well but Don’t Cha feels classic.

Crave Online: Don’t Cha is more adaptable so they can put it in movies or spoof it.

Nicole Scherzinger: And also the reason why I love it is because not only is it fun but it’s empowering. For us to come out with that song and to be able to perform it all around the world and empower girls to be like, “I like you, I want to be like you and hang out with you,” I just think it’s an awesome song.